I love the candy aisles in the grocery stores at this time of year. What a colorful array of packages of sweets! It’s a malange of orange, brown, black, silver, gold, red, green.

As the holidays come fast and furious and it’s a retailer’s nightmare to keep up to date. But for customers, if you don’t mind eating brown and orange candies during the red and green season, it’s a windfall of sugar. I notice the cinnamon scented pine cones are back again, so I guess I am alone in my feelings about that. The smell of pine is good enough for me.

The Windham Historical Society met last week and after a great meal, we elected officers, summed up the year and were entertained by Windhamite Jon Miele and some of his friends, performing a variety of familiar and some unfamiliar tunes. It was just great.

It’s been a very busy year for the society volunteers, who spend many hours taking care of their three historic buildings in the center of town. The main building is now 175 years old, made from local brick, and this year we got started on some overdue work to the exterior.

The small building adjacent to it was once the main library in the area, a tiny structure built before Maine became a state in 1820, and has been used for many purposes. Now it has several terrific displays including a wall devoted to the memory of long time Windham doctor, Sidney Branson. The third building, across from Corsetti’s, has been at that corner also since about 1820 and was the place the men used to meet before going to the March town meeting. The Old Grocery was a grain store, a shoemaker’s shop and other uses over the years.

So for the society members who now will take a break for a few cold months, the annual meeting gave some of us a chance to take a breath. The next Windham Historical Society program for the public will be on the Cumberland and Oxford Canal and will be held at the library on the fourth Saturday in January in the morning. More details to come on this but make sure to plan on attending.

This is really the best time of the year, but for many of us, the anticipation of big fuel bills can make this season a little worrying. Thankfully, another community group, Windham Neighbors Helping Neighbors, has been hard at work all year to ensure no one is cold this winter. Together with the wonderful (again, volunteers make it happen) Food Pantry and Clothes Closet, these groups will help hundreds of Windham folks stay healthy and safe through the winter.

Thanks to Bill Crane who pointed out that the skating pond behind Arlington/Manchester schools, about which I wrote recently, was built by the Windham Lions. And rebuilt by the Lions. We’re always grateful for information to make a clearer picture.